Mace and Keith Philman of 83 Farms, LLC in a corn plot.
I have summarized the corn yields from the Columbia County Grain Corn Trials hosted by 83 Farms, LLC at a farm in Ellisville, FL. This local information helps our farmers, Extension, seed dealers, and seed industry to make better management decisions including hybrid selection, and responses of hybrids to particular field conditions and management practices. The grain trials were harvested on July 31, 2014. Grain moisture ranged from 14.5% to 16.1%. I have never seen corn ready to deliver around 15% moisture in July. Although this crop had two fungicide applications, we feel the severe Southern Corn Rust pressure led to early termination of the crop and rapid grain dry down. The corn plots consisted of 3 replications of each variety. Each plot was 6 rows wide by 750′ long. The yields in the attached graph were the average of the three plots. I have not completed statistical analysis to determine where significant differences exist. A special thanks to Kevin Phillips, Agronomist for Dupont-Pioneer for providing the weighing wagon on short notice. I hope you enjoy the video and thanks to the hard work of those who grew the great crop and those that helped collect the plot yields.
Great post and video mace. Considering the cool wet spring, leaching rains early, high temperatures at pollination and relentless attack by southern rust these are good yields for our highly weathered, sandy soils. Discussions with growers from this region are saying field averages are running from 200 to 225 bpa. When they have access to weigh wagons or calbrated yield monitors yields have been as high as 260 bpa with right variety. Good to see P2023 hanging tough with new “Pioneer kids” on block. One local grower that typically plants dryland corn late april/early may to time pollination during the start of normal summer rainy season says he will have to pay more attention to rust reports. he knows southern rust can be his nemisi planting this late. Scouting and trying to wait to last minute cost him this year because plane got their week late with fungicide spray around brown silk. Fungicide slowed but did not stop rust. As others have found, it appears his corn will be field dried and ready to pick 2 weeks ahead of schedule. By the way noticed your data collector got to sit under tent in shade. Guess the combine operator had the coolest job with climate controlled cab!! JL